CV

Education

• Ph.D in Electrical Engineering, University of Virginia, 2024 (expected)
• M.S. in Physics, University of Virginia, 2019 (Thesis)
• B.S. in Physics, University of Virginia, 2017

Research experience

• Fall 2019 - Present: Electrical Engineering Graduate Research Assistant
  • University of Virginia
  • Duties include:
    • Perform novel research that creates policies that improve the efficiency and safety of mobile robotic systems, focused mostly on UAVs and UGVs
    • Write and submit original papers for publishing to top robotics and controls journals
    • Work with state-of-the-art research robotics to test novel control policies on real-world platforms
    • Create and perform demonstrations that highlight the abilities of robots to maneuver and map the environment
  • Lab Website
  • Supervisor: Nicola Bezzo
• Fall 2017 - Summer 2019: Physics Graduate Research Assistance
  • University of Virginia
  • Accomplishments:
    • Laid the foundation for a practical method to create resources for quantum information processing. This work was founded in my Master’s Thesis, and is still a major research focus in that lab today.
    • Worked with a small team to troubleshoot, diagnose and repair a large multi-faceted optical experiment used to create resources for quantum computers.
  • Supervisor: Olivier Pfister

Skills

• Model Predictive Control
  • Software packages: ACADO Toolkit, Optimization Engine, Matlab MPC Toolbox
• Deep Learning
  • Coursera Deep Learning Specialization
• Optimal Control Theory
• ROS
• Python
• Reinforcement Learning
• Artificial Intelligence
• Image Processing

Publications

Negotiating Visibility for Safe Autonomous Navigation in Occluding and Uncertain Environments

Higgins, Jacob. (2021). "Negotiating Visibility for Safe Autonomous Navigation in Occluding and Uncertain Environments." Robotics and Automation Letters. 6(3).

Talks

Link Lab Student Flash Talks

December 10, 2020

Talk at University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia Engineering Research Symposium, Poster Presentation

April 07, 2021

Talk at Link Lab, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

NSF CPS PI Meeting 2021

June 09, 2021

Talk at Virtual Presenation,

ICRA 2021

June 10, 2021

Talk at Virtual Presenation, Xi'an China

Funding

• National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Fellowship
  • Merit-based award given to a promising student enrolled in the NSF Cyber-Physical Systems Traineeship Program.
  • Includes a $34,000 stipend, tuition, fees, and health insurance.
• Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Call for Proposals
  • State-wide funding for projects focused on cyber-physical system research, including autonomous systems
  • $5,000 to pay for experimental equipment and travel expenses